Belt and tread transfer method using transfer ring having selective adjustability of shoe movement

ABSTRACT

An improved transfer ring for use in vehicle tire making equipment wherein the carcass of the tire and the belt and tread package are made up at different and separate physical locations and thereafter the belt and tread package is transferred onto the carcass employing the transfer ring whereupon the two components of the tire are married. The present transfer ring includes first and second motive means for effecting grasping motion of a plurality of shoes of the transfer ring to cause the shoes to engage the belt and tread package about its outer circumference. In a preferred embodiment, the grasping motion is effected in multiple stages and the extent of motion is selectively adjustable. A method for effecting transfer of a belt and tread package is disclosed.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 08/289,766, filed Aug. 12,1994 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,587

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to equipment useful in the manufacture of vehicletires, and particularly to a transfer ring useful in the transfer of abelt and tread package onto a tire carcass wherein the transfer ring hasimproved adjustability for grasping the package for effecting thetransfer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the manufacture of vehicle tires, it is a common practice to make upa carcass for the tire, this carcass including substantially all of thetire except the outer circumferential reinforcing belts and treadpackage, at a first location and then transfer the carcass to a tireforming drum where the carcass is positioned for receiving a ring-shapedbelt and tread package about the outer circumference of the carcass. Thebelt and tread package is made up separate from the carcass andtherefore must be transferred from its manufacturing location to thelocation of the carcass and positioned thereupon precisely about thecircumference of the carcass. The geometry of the belt and tread packageand the fact that it must be placed about the outer circumference of thecarcass only permits the package to be grasped about its outercircumference for effecting the transfer.

The operation of transferring of the belt and tread package onto thecarcass is of great importance in the successful manufacture of avehicle tire. First, it will be recognized that vehicle tires must bebalanced for rotational stability when installed on a vehicle. Thisrequires, among other things, that all of the components of the tire beuniformly positioned about the circumference of the tire. It furtherrequires that the components be positioned precisely symmetrically abouta plane which extends through the center of the tire between theopposite sidewalls thereof.

As noted, a common practice in the manufacture of vehicle tires is tomake up the tire carcass at one location, make up the belt and treadpackage at a different and physically separated location, and then tomarry these components at a third location. This general procedureallows one to precisely form the carcass to the desired tire size toprovide the base upon which the tire is finally formed. However, thisprocedure places inordinate requirements upon the equipment which isrequired to transfer the belt and tread package onto the outercircumference of the carcass for the reasons that, first, the belt andtread package is a relatively flimsy ring and because of its make up itis also subject to deleterious deformation when grasped by a transferring. Second, the belt and tread package must be quickly and preciselypositioned about the outer circumference of the carcass so that thepackage is symmetrically positioned about the carcass before the twocomponents can be joined to form the tire precursor which later isplaced in a mold for final formation of the tire and its tread.Commonly, in the industry the time allowed for the transfer of the beltand tread package onto the carcass is very short, for example a fewseconds.

Transfer rings of the prior art include one or more outer rings whichserve to mount and house a plurality of shoes, each of which is aarcuate segment of a circle, that are movable radially inwardly andoutwardly of their housing. This radial movement of the shoes permitsthe shoes to be retracted radially outward for positioning of thetransfer ring about a belt and tread package residing on its formationdrum (belt and tread drum) and to be advanced radially inwardly forcontacting and grasping the belt and tread package while it is still onits formation drum. Thereupon the formation drum is collapsed to leavethe belt and tread package in the grasp of the transfer ring. In theformation of a belt and tread package on its formation drum, it isrequired that one or more of the several layer components of package bein tension in order to insure their proper placement in the package.This tension is released when the formation drum is collapsed so thatthe package in the transfer ring tends to contract a slight amount andto at least partially fall away from the grasp of the transfer ring.This movement of the package is more pronounced at the top of thepackage since the package is oriented vertically within the transferring, and presents a problem when attempting to position the packageabout the circumference of the carcass. Prior art transfer rings have noprovision for accommodating this movement of the belt and tread packageupon the collapsing of the formation drum.

Further, it is desired that the compressive force applied by the shoesof the transfer ring to the belt and tread package be sufficient to"round up" the belt and tread package within the transfer ring, but theforce cannot be such as will deleteriously deform the package. In theprior art transfer rings, there is provided a single closing movement ofthe shoes of the transfer ring about the belt and tread package. Theradially inward limit of movement of the shoes is set for a given sizebelt and tread package. Thus, the prior art does not provide means foraccommodating any circumferential movement of the belt and tread packageafter it has been initially grasped by the transfer ring. Importantly,it is to be understood that nonuniform circumferential movement of thebelt and tread package by as much as a few thousandths of an inch aremost important in that these small movements prevent the belt and treadpackage from being positioned with its center axis coincident with thecenter axis of the carcass, thereby resulting in an unbalanced tire.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved transferring.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improvedtransfer ring in which there is provision for adjusting thecircumferential uniformity of the belt and tread package after it hasbeen grasped by the transfer ring.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method forthe transfer of a belt and tread package onto a carcass in the course ofthe manufacture of a vehicle tire.

These and other objects of the present invention will be recognized fromthe description contained herein, including the claims and the drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a tire manufacturing machinewhich employs a transfer ring;

FIG. 2 is a representation of a vehicle tire carcass as formed on a beadlock drum;

FIG. 3 is a representation of a belt and tread package as formed on abelt and tread drum;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of a transfer ringembodying various of the features of the present invention and depictingthe shoes in their radially midpoint position;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view as in FIG. 4 and showing the shoes intheir radially inward position;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line A--A of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line B--B of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line C--C of FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line D--D of FIG. 4;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view, in section of one embodiment of asecondary piston-cylinder motive means and taken generally along theline A--A of FIG. 11;

FIG. 11 is a right-hand end view of the secondary piston-cylinder motivemeans depicted in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a left-hand end view of the secondary piston-cylinder motivemeans depicted in FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a plan elevational view of a locking ring employed in thesecondary piston-cylinder motive means depicted in FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of the locking ring depicted in FIG.13;

FIG. 15 is a side elevational view, in section of the locking ringdepicted in FIG. 13 and taken generally along the line B--B of FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a side elevational view of a transfer shaft employed in thesecondary piston-cylinder motive means depicted in FIG. 10;

FIG. 17 is a left-hand end view of the transfer shaft depicted in FIG.16;

FIG. 18 is a sectional view, in side elevation, of a sleeve meansemployed in the secondary piston-cylinder motive means depicted in FIG.10 and taken generally along the line D--D of FIG. 19;

FIG. 19 is a left-hand end view, in elevation, of the sleeve meansdepicted in FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is an elevational view of an adjustment ring employed in thesecondary piston-cylinder motive means depicted in FIG. 10;

FIG. 21 is a side elevational view, in section, of the adjustment ringdepicted in FIG. 20 and taken generally along the line 21--21 of FIG.20;

FIG. 22 is a side elevational view of the adjustment ring depicted inFIG. 20;

FIG. 23 is a partial side elevational view of a secondarypiston-cylinder motive means and depicting the adjustment ring andlocking ring in locking engagement; and

FIG. 24 is a partial side elevational view of a secondarypiston-cylinder motive means and depicting the locking ring thereof outof locking engagement with the adjustment ring.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention there is provided an improvedtransfer ring for use in vehicle tire making equipment wherein thecarcass of the tire and the belt and tread package are made up atdifferent and separate physical locations and thereafter the belt andtread package is transferred onto the carcass employing a transfer ringwhereupon the two components of the tire are married. The transfer ringof the present invention includes first motive means for moving theshoes of the transfer ring radially between a first position ofengagement with the belt and tread package and a second position ofnonengagement with the belt and tread package, and a second motive meansfor moving the shoes of the transfer ring at least further radiallyinwardly of the ring after the first motive means has achieved its mostradially inwardly limit of movement of the shoes of the transfer ring.By this means, the improved transfer ring of the present inventionaccommodates any tendency of the belt and tread package to alter itsdesired circular geometry following its release from its forming drum.In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first andsecond motive means comprise first and second piston-cylinder means thatare operatively disposed in tandem and the operation of the secondpiston-cylinder means is activated upon the limiting out of the radiallyinwardly directed force effected by the first piston-cylinder means tomove the shoes into engagement with the belt and tread package.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the second motive meansis provided with means for selectively adjusting the extent of theradially inward movement of the shoes of the transfer ring by the secondmotive means following the collapse of the belt and tread drum. Further,there is provided means for visually indicating the extent of radiallyinward movement of each shoe of the transfer ring by reason of the forcedeveloped by the second motive means. Still further, in one embodiment,the shoes of the transfer ring are linked to the first and second motivemeans for movement of the shoes radially of the transfer ring by linkagewhich provides a one-to-one ratio of movement of each of the motivemeans and the radial movement of each shoe.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

Referring to the Figures wherein like parts are provided with likenumerals, in one embodiment of the present invention, there is depictedin FIG. 1 a schematic representation of a typical tire-making machine 10including a belt and tread drum 12 on which a belt and tread package 14(see FIG. 3) is formed, a first stage drum 16 which receives thereon acarcass 18 (see FIG. 2), and a transfer ring 20 suitable fortransferring the belt and tread package 14 from the belt and tread drum12 onto the carcass 18.

A transfer ring 20 incorporating various of the features of the presentinvention is depicted in FIGS. 4-9. The depicted transfer ring 20includes first and second outer housing rings 22 and 24 which are heldin spaced apart and concentric relationship by a plurality of rod-typespacers 26. A mounting ring 28 is disposed between the housing rings 22and 24 and is rotatably mounted with respect thereto as by means of aplurality of roller bearings 30 which are mounted on individual ones ofthe spacers 26. As required, the housing rings 22 and 23 are providedwith mounting means 27 for mounting of the transfer ring on a vehicletire manufacturing machine.

A plurality of shoes 32 are mounted for radial movement with respect tothe housing rings 22 and 24 by means of a plurality of secondary linkagesets, each set including inner and outer links 34 and 36, and aplurality of "T"-links, each "T"-link including inner and outer links 38and 40 which are rigidly secured to a shaft 42 extending transversely ofthe orientation of the links 38 and 40 and between the outer housingrings 22 and 24 (see FIGS. 4, 7 and 8). The most radially inward ends 44and 46 of each of the links 34 and 36, respectively, are pivotallyanchored to a respective shoe 32 as by means of a shaft 48 (see FIGS. 4and 7). The opposite ends, end 50 for example, of the links 34 and 36are pivotally anchored to the support ring 28 as by a shaft 54 (see FIG.9). The radially inward ends 56 and each 58 of each "T"-link arepivotally mounted on the shaft 48 thereby securing these ends to theshoe 32.

One of the links of a set of secondary links, link 60 in FIG. 4, ismodified by the addition to the end 50 thereof an extension arm 62 todefine an actuator link 60. This arm 62 is rigid with respect to thelink 34 and oriented at an acute angle with respect thereto to extendradially outwardly of the transfer ring.

In the depicted embodiment of FIG. 4, the outboard end 64 of the arm 62of the actuator link 60 is pivotally connected, as by a shaft 66 of atubular connector 67,, to the end 68 of a transfer shaft 70 of asecondary motive means which in the depicted embodiment takes the formof a secondary piston-cylinder assembly 72. In turn, this secondarypiston-cylinder assembly is operatively connected to a primary motivemeans which in the depicted embodiment takes the form of a primarypiston-cylinder assembly 76. By these means, actuation of the primarypiston-cylinder assembly and/or the secondary piston-cylinder assembly,and acting through the actuator link 60,.the links 34 and 36, the"T"-links 38 and 40, and the support ring 28, serves to move the shoesradially inwardly or outwardly with respect to the transfer ring andbetween positions of engagement and nonengagement with a belt and treadpackage which is disposed within and encompassed by the transfer ring.

The depicted transfer ring, the housing rings, the support ring, theradially movable shoes, the linkages connecting the shoes to thetransfer ring itself and to an external motive means are described forillustration purposes and may take any of the several embodiments oftransfer rings heretofore known in the art. As noted hereinabove,however, prior art transfer rings are incapable of accommodating anydislocation of a belt and tread package which might occur after theshoes of the transfer ring have been moved radially inwardly and havegrasped the belt and tread package.

With primary reference to FIGS. 4-9, in accordance with one aspect ofthe present invention there is provided in operative position betweenthe primary motive means 76 and the actuator link 60, a secondary motivemeans 72. Whereas the primary and secondary motive means depicted in theFigures take the form of piston-cylinder assemblies, it is to beunderstood that other motive means may be employed without departingfrom the present invention. In any event, in accordance with the presentinvention, there is provided a secondary motive means which is capableof accommodating radially inward movements of the belt and tread packageafter the package has been initially grasped by the transfer ring andreleased by the belt and tread drum. As noted hereinabove, this featureis accomplished through the means of a secondary motive means which isactuated upon the limiting out of the radially inwardly movement of theshoes of the transfer ring under the influence of the force applied by aprimary motive means.

As depicted in FIG. 10, the secondary piston-cylinder means is of thedouble-acting type and includes a cylinder means 80 which serves tohouse therein a piston means 82 which is slidable within the cylinderbetween extended and retracted positions under the influence ofpressure, such as hydraulic pressure, applied to one of the internalchambers 81 and 83 of the cylinder. The piston 82 includes a piston rod84 which projects outwardly of the end wall 86 of the cylinder and isinternally threaded to threadably receive therein one end 88 of anexternally threaded connecting rod 90. The opposite end 92 of the rod 90is threadably received within an internally threaded passageway 94 ofthe transfer shaft 70 to thereby connect the shaft 70 with the piston 82so that movement of the piston 82 is translated into, like movement ofthe shaft 70. As discussed hereinabove., this movement of the shaft 70is translated by the components of the transfer ring into radialmovement of the shoes 32 of the transfer ring.

Importantly, in one aspect of the present invention, the limits oftravel of the piston 82 within the cylinder 80, i.e. limits of extensionand/or retraction of the piston, are selectively adjustable to therebypermit the selective adjustment of the extent of radial movement of eachshoe of the transfer ring upon actuation of the secondarypiston-cylinder means. In the depicted embodiment, this is accomplishedby means of a novel micrometer nut subassembly which includes a lockingring 96 which is mounted on the circumference of the shaft 70 andrendered nonrotatable therewith by means of a pin 98 which extendstransversely through the passageway 94 of the shaft 70 and intoappropriate bore holes 100 and 102 provided 180 degrees apart in thefirst ring 96 (see FIG. 13). As best seen in FIG. 16, the passageway 94includes a portion which defines a longitudinal slot 104 within whichthe pin 98 is free to slide. Spring means 106 disposed within thepassageway 94 provides a force biasing the pin 98 and the locking ringin a direction toward the cylinder 80. One or more locking lugs 108 and110 are provided on the inward face 112 of the locking ring and projectinwardly of the subassembly (i.e. toward the cylinder 80).

The most longitudinally inward end 114 of the shaft 70 is provided withexternal threads and threadably receives thereon an internally threadedsleeve 116. The most inward end 118 of the sleeve is positioned toengage the end wall 120 of the cylinder 80 and serve as a stop againstretraction of the piston 82 within the cylinder 80. Because of thethreaded relationship of the sleeve 116 to the shaft 70, rotation of thesleeve upon the shaft provides for adjustment of the distance betweenthe end 118 of the sleeve and the end wall 120 of the cylinder, therebyproviding for selective adjustment of the extent of retraction movementof the piston.

An adjustment ring 122 (see FIGS. 10, 21-24) is provided incircumferentially encompassing relationship to the sleeve 116 and isreleasably secured to the sleeve as by means of a set screw 124. Whenthis adjustment ring is rotationally fixed to the sleeve 116, rotationof the adjustment ring serves to rotate the sleeve and establish itslongitudinal position relative to the shaft 70. In the embodimentdepicted in FIG. 10, for purposes of illustration, the sleeve 116 isshown with its end 118 in engagement with the end wall 120 of thecylinder and the piston is shown in its most extended position, acombination which prevents any movement of the piston within thecylinder 80. In this arrangement, the secondary motive means iseffectively a rigid member and any motive force exerted by the primarymotive means will be transmitted through the secondary motive means,without modification or adjustment, to the shoes. In the usualoperational situation, however, the sleeve 116 is adjusted along thelength of the shaft 70 to establish a clearance between the end 118 ofthe sleeve and the end wall 120 of the cylinder when the piston is sodisposed within the cylinder as to be retracted upon the introduction ofhydraulic pressure, for example, into the chamber 83 of the cylinder.Indicia are provided on the outer circumference of the adjustment ring122 to provide a visual indication of the distance between the sleeveand the end wall 120 of the cylinder 80.

In the depicted embodiment, the limit of extension of the piston 82within the cylinder 80 is established by means of a stop ring 126positioned in encompassing relationship with the piston rod 84 andwithin the chamber 83 of the cylinder. This feature permits one toinitially choose a piston-cylinder assembly in which the limits oftravel of the piston are relatively large and then select a properlysized stop ring to limit the extension movement of the piston to thatwhich may be required in a given situation. As desired, the sizing ofthe piston-cylinder (as respects the limits of travel of the piston) maybe chosen to provide inherent limits of travel and thereby eliminate theuse of a stop ring.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 10, the secondary piston-cylinder means isoperatively connected to the outboard end 128 of the piston rod 74 ofthe primary piston-cylinder means 76. In the depicted embodiment, thisconnection is accomplished by means of an end plate 130 affixed to theend 132 of the cylinder 80, this plate being provided with an internallythreaded bore 134 into which there is received the externally threadedoutboard end 128 of the piston rod 74 of the primary piston-cylinderassembly.

The primary piston-cylinder assembly, in the depicted embodiment, is ofthe conventional double-acting type in which the cylinder 133 is dividedinternally into two chambers 135 and 137 by a piston 139 which slidablydisposed within the cylinder. Hydraulic pressure, for example, istransmitted into, or released from, the chambers through conventionalconduits 136 and 138 which connect the chambers to a source ofpressurized hydraulic fluid 140. The same source of pressurizedhydraulic fluid may be used to supply pressurized fluid to the chambers81 and 83 of the cylinder 80 via conduits 140 and 142. Selective controlof the flow of the pressurized hydraulic fluid is provided for byconventional control means 144 including motion sensors,solenoid-operated valves, etc. The primary piston-cylinder 76 is fixedlymounted on the adjustment ring 28. The location of this mounting aboutthe circumference of the mounting ring is not critical so that if in agiven tire manufacturing machine the mounting location requires aspecific location, this requirement is readily accommodated by thepresent invention. Because of the rigid connection of the secondarypiston-cylinder means to the primary piston-cylinder means, noindependent mounting of the secondary piston-cylinder means is required.

It will be noted that because the primary piston-cylinder 76 is fixedlymounted to the mounting ring 28 which, in turn, is rotatably mountedwithin the housing rings 24 and 26, movement of either of the pistons139 or 82 within their respective cylinders to actuate the linkages forradial movement of the shoes 32 results in a degree of counterclockwisemovement of the mounting ring 28. This is occasioned by reason of therelationship of the linkages and the mounting of the primarypiston-cylinder directly onto the rotatable mounting ring 28. Whendesigning the ratio of movement of the pistons 139 and 82 within theirrespective cylinders to the resulting radial movement of the shoes, onemust take into consideration this counterclockwise movement of themounting ring. These relative movements of the several components of thedevice are well understood by those skilled in the art as are thecalculations involved for establishing the movement ratio.

Referring to FIGS. 23 and 24, in the depicted embodiment, selectiveadjustability of the position of the sleeve 116, to which there issecured the adjustment ring 122, along the length of the threadedtransfer shaft 70, is accomplished through rotation of the adjustmentring 122 about the shaft 70 to thereby rotate the sleeve about the shaftand cause the threaded sleeve to move longitudinally of the shaft 70. Inthe preferred embodiment, the rotational movement of the adjustment ring122 is limited by means of the locking ring 96. This latter lockingring, as noted hereinabove, is nonrotatably mounted on the shaft 70, butis slidable longitudinally of the shaft 70 to the extent of the lengthof the longitudinal slot 104 provided in the shaft 70 and within whichthe pin 98, which passes through the bores 100 and 102 in the ring 96,resides. The face 123 of the adjustment ring 122 is provided, in thedepicted embodiment, with a plurality, for example, twenty, outwardlyopening bores 125 which are equally spaced apart in a circle around theperimeter of the face 123. The locking ring 96 is provided with at leastone, and preferably two, locking pins 108 and 110 which project from theface 123 of the locking ring 96 and toward the open bores of the face ofthe adjustment ring 122. These locking pins are adapted to be receivedin respective ones of the open bores of the adjustment ring, when inregister therewith, to thereby lock the adjustment ring against rotationwhen the pins are thus received, inasmuch as the locking ring isnonrotatable about the shaft 70. Recalling that the locking ring isbiased by the spring means 106 toward the cylinder 70, the locking ringis thus biased toward its locking position with respect to theadjustment ring 122. However, when it is desired to adjust the distancebetween the end of the sleeve and the outward end of the cylinder 80,the locking ring may be moved longitudinally along the shaft 70 towithdraw the locking pins 108 and 110 from the open bores in theadjustment ring and thereby free the adjustment ring for rotation aboutthe shaft 70. As noted, this rotational movement of the adjustment ring122 provides for selection of the position of the sleeve 116 withrespect to the end of the cylinder 80. Initial setting of the distancebetween the sleeve and the end wall of the cylinder 80 is accomplishedwhen the piston 82 is in its most extended position within the cylinder80 and the locking ring is disengaged from its locking relationship withthe adjustment ring 122. Under these conditions, the sleeve is initiallypositioned in engagement with the end wall of the cylinder 80 and theadjustment ring is thereupon rotated until the zero indicia marking onthe adjustment ring is aligned with a line mark 160 on the circumferenceof the locking ring, whereupon the locking ring is released to permitthe biasing action of the spring 106 to move the pins 108 and 110 intorespective open bores in the adjustment ring to lock these rings againstfurther rotational movement relative to one another so long as they areso engaged. Subsequent adjustment of the=distance of the sleeve from theend wall of the cylinder 80 is accomplished merely by disengaging thelocking ring from the adjustment ring, rotating the adjustment ring tothe amount required to reposition the sleeve from the end wall, andreengaging the locking ring to secure the adjustment.

In a typical operation of the present invention, the transfer ring ismoved into position about a belt and tread package which has been formedon the belt and tread drum. Thereupon the primary piston-cylinder isactivated by the introduction of pressurized fluid to the chamber 137thereof to retract the piston 139 within the cylinder 133. Again becauseof the rigid relationship between the primary and secondarypiston-cylinder assemblies, this retraction movement of the piston 139is transferred through the secondary piston-cylinder assembly, throughthe actuator link 60, to the several linkages and support ring 28,thence to the shoes 32 to move the shoes radially inwardly of thetransfer ring to engage the belt and tread package. It is to be notedthat the depicted arrangement of the linkages and other components ofthe transfer ring, retraction of the piston 139 moves the shoes radiallyinwardly and extension of the piston 139 moves the shoes radiallyoutwardly. This same relationship of movement of the shoes is carriedover into the retraction and extension of the piston 82 of the secondarypiston-cylinder assembly. It will be recognized that this relationshipof movement of the piston and the shoes could be reversed as desired.

This initial movement of the shoes by the action of the primarypiston-cylinder assembly is limited to that extent of inward movement ofthe shoes as will cause the shoes to engage the belt and tread package,but will not deleteriously deform the package, such as imprinting thefootprint of a shoe within the package. Such shoe imprinting-can resultin the formation of cavities which capture air, or in the localizedweakening of the tire in the course of marrying of the belt and treadpackage to the carcass.

Upon the limiting out of the retraction of the piston 139, the movementof the piston 139 within the cylinder 133 is braked, as by theequalization of the pressure within the chambers 135 and 137 of thecylinder via the control means 144. Thereupon pressurized hydraulicfluid is admitted to the chamber 83 of the secondary piston-cylinder 72to effect retraction of the piston 82 within the cylinder 80. Becausethe movement of the piston 139 is braked and recalling the rigidrelationship between the primary and secondary piston-cylinderassemblies, it will be recognized that retraction of the piston 82within the cylinder 80 effects further radially inwardly movement of theshoes of the transfer ring. The extent of this further movement islimited to that movement of the piston 82 which is permitted by theposition of the sleeve 116 to the end wall 120 of the cylinder 80 sothat the further movement of the shoes, following their initialengagement with the belt and tread package and following collapse of thebelt and tread drum is, selectively adjustable by selectively adjustingthe position of the sleeve 116 relative to the end wall of the cylinder80. In a typical embodiment, the range of adjustment of the retractionmovement of the piston is between a maximum of about one-half inch and aminimum of zero.. Commonly, the desired secondary movement of the shoesis less than about one-fourth inch per shoe. Therefore, the separationdistance of the sleeve 116 and end wall of the cylinder 80 is selectedto be about one-fourth inch when there is a one-to-one relationshipbetween the movement of the secondary piston 82 and movement of eachshoe of the transfer ring. This movement of each shoe radially any givenamount produces a change in diameter of the circle defined by the shoesof twice the radial movement of a single shoe. It will be recognizedthat the range of radial movement of the shoes 32 can be altered byrelocating the shafts 42 and 54 radially inwardly or outwardly of thetransfer ring to thereby alter the trianglar relationship of theseshafts and the shaft 48 which mounts a shoe to the linkages which serveto move the shoe radially inwardly and outwardly.

Whereas the invention has been described herein in terms of specificembodiments, one skilled in the art will recognize equivalents thereof,and the invention is intended to be limited only as set forth in theclaims appended hereto.

What is claimed:
 1. A method for the transfer of a belt and treadpackage component of a vehicle tire which has been formed on a belt andtread drum from a first location onto a carcass component of said tireat a second location employing a transfer ring which includes aplurality of shoes disposed in an annular configuration within saidtransfer ring and which are movably radially inwardly and outwardly ofsaid transfer ring comprising the steps ofpositioning said transfer ringin encircling relationship to the outer circumference of said belt andtread package with said shoes disposed in position to engage said outercircumference of said belt and tread package, applying a first force tosaid shoes sufficient to cause said shoes to engage said outercircumference of said belt and tread package, thereupon arresting theapplication of said first force with said shoes in engagement with saidouter circumference of said belt and tread package, thereafter applyinga second force to said shoes sufficient to move said shoes a radialdistance inwardly of said transfer ring which is less than that distancewhich causes deleterious distortion of said belt and tread package butis at least equal to that distance which ensures that said shoessupportingly engage said belt and tread package when said belt and treadpackage is unsupported on the belt and tread drum and free to assume asubstantially relaxed state, and thereafter while said belt and treadpackage is engaged by said transfer ring, transferring said belt andtread package onto a vehicle tire carcass.
 2. The method of claim 1 andincluding the step of generating said first and second forces employinghydraulic pressure applied to first and second motive means.
 3. Themethod of claim 1 and including the step of limiting the magnitude ofsaid second force to that force which effects not more than aboutone-half inch of radially inward movement of each of said plurality ofshoes.